Former US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton warned today (Tuesday) at the Israel Hayom Conference in New York that Israel is facing a severe PR crisis among the younger generation in America. “Israel has the worst PR of any group I have ever known. The story that needed to be told is not being told effectively, and I think it is only getting worse now,” she said in an interview with Israel Hayom correspondent Yoav Limor.
Clinton, who taught at Columbia University after October 7, revealed that her students received distorted information about the events. “We saw an almost organized effort to turn what happened into something unrecognizable. We began to understand that our students smart, educated, young where are they getting their information? From social media, especially TikTok,” she said. “This is a serious problem for democracy, whether in Israel or in the United States.”
The former Secretary of State and presidential candidate warned that the challenge is generational, not partisan. “When you hear Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes speak, they are part of the right. This isn’t Democrats versus Republicans; it is a generational issue,” she noted. She emphasized: “More than 50% of young people in America get their news from social media. They see short videos, some of them completely fabricated, and that is where they get their information.”
Clinton pointed to the election of Zohran Mamdani in New York as an example of the trend. “He was a social media candidate that is exactly my point. Young people were the engine, from every background and every ethnic origin, who connected to him. The social media campaign was extremely effective,” she said.
Despite the warnings, Clinton expressed cautious optimism about the region’s future. “When the Abraham Accords were signed, I publicly supported them immediately. Even after October 7, you did not see the signatories abandoning them and that is proof that there are more optimistic scenarios for Israel in the region,” she noted. She added that “it is critical to keep Iran on the back foot and stop chasing a nuclear deal.”
Clinton called on Israel to focus on a PR campaign. “You must engage in the narrative. You must do a better job telling Israel’s story not only looking inward, but outward, and especially toward the younger generation,” she said. “I hope there will be more events like this one bringing people together and engaging in dialogue. It is important not to dismiss anyone before we have a chance for a conversation.”